Jim's new girl
by StarStrewn
Summary: Okay, so this takes place after The Merge. Karen is there, but she and Jim aren't dating. Nope, he's not with Pam either. HE'S WITH ANOTHER WOMAN. -shock, horror- Its not what I usually write so please review and tell me what you thought.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own The Office. I'm sure that came as a shock to you guys, right? Ha-ha **

**Okay, so this takes place after The Merge. Karen is there, but she and Jim aren't dating. Nope, he's not with Pam either. HE'S WITH ANOTHER WOMAN. *shock, horror* I know that some Jam fans may be upset with this, and I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a Jam fan myself but I wanted to try this because sometimes I just think Jim and Pam should just get together and talk about it. I mean, they obviously have feelings for each other. Argh, sorry, I'm rambling! But anyway! On to the story! **

It was the end of another long day at the office. The first day of the merge, and already someone had quit. That had to be a record for Michael. Pam was sitting at her desk, playing another game of Solitaire. She was feeling confused about Jim – she knew things wouldn't be the same after Casino Night, she wasn't an idiot, but she figured they'd at least be friends. They were adults right? And she couldn't figure out that new girl, Karen. She seemed like someone she'd be friends with, but the way she looked at Jim…it made her jealous and mad. But the thing that made her most confused was Jim himself. He wasn't looking at either of them. Just the clock. Pam sighed and put a 5 on a 6.

At 5.00pm, people began to pack up and leave for the day. Karen was one of the last to leave, dawdling near reception. She was waiting for Jim to say goodbye or something. He'd barely talked to her all day. Well, alright, he'd talked, but only as though they were just friends. Which they were. But Karen wanted more then that. She didn't want to be just friends. She felt like she had a crush on her best friend's big brother or something. He'd never see her as girlfriend material. This struck Karen as suddenly very funny and very sad at the same time. She thought maybe she'd seen some sparks between Jim and Pam, the receptionist when he'd first come in, but maybe she was wrong. He hadn't treated her like more then a friend since then. She barely knew Pam, but already she felt some not-so-great feelings towards her. Stupid, yes, she knew. But she couldn't help it.

End of the day. Jim stood up and gathered some papers, neatly packing them up. He stretched and slung his bag onto his shoulder. He waved to Karen, who was leaving, looking a bit annoyed…understandable, he figured, she had just spent her first day with Michael Scott. Pam was still her desk, staring determinedly at her computer screen. Solitaire, he guessed, smiling. She'd barely changed. He said goodbye to her too, rapping his knuckles on her desk. He'd missed saying Beesly. He felt sort of bad (okay, really bad) for leaving her behind in Scranton after telling her she loved him, but he couldn't bear to stay any longer. But now, he felt better and hoped they would just leave it in the past. Besides, he had moved on. Whistling, he walked down to the car park and was happily greeted by a sweet, young woman. She had straight, long, brown hair that had bits of red when the sunlight caught it and pale, snow white skin with a scattering of faint freckles across her nose. He kissed her, lightly, softly and loved the feeling of her arms around his neck; warm, safe, comforting, sweet.

"Hey Jim. How was work?" His girlfriend, Tess, asked. Jim slipped his hand in hers and they began to walk to the car.

"Not bad." He said, contently, and because he liked the way it sounded he said it again. "Not bad."

**Please review and let me know what you think! Let me know, thanks for reading! I'm not planning on continuing, but if you want let me to, let me know. For now its complete, but we'll see. I hope you enjoyed it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I own nada. **

**Thankyou all so much for the kind reviews, I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages, I wasn't sure how to do this chapter and I had to update a new story I've been writing (between boy – please check it out.) Anyway, I finally updated. Hope you enjoy it!**

Pam was looking at Jim. Karen was looking at Jim. Jim was looking at his computer screen. Pam sighed and glanced at Karen – Karen caught her eye and they held awkward eye contact for a few seconds. Pam shook her head and sighed. She really didn't understand Jim. He told her he loved her, moved to Stamford, came back and ignored her. What was going on? Jim stapled a few sheets together, whistling. Okay, this was getting weird – he was actually working. And _whistling. _He was still Jim, smiling and smirking and just being himself but he was happier and healthier. And Pam desperately wanted to know why.

"Hey…" Karen said, entering the kitchen. He looked up.

"Oh, hey Karen."

"So, um, is Michael always like this?"

"Uh…basically." He laughed and poured some sugar into his coffee. He gave her a little grin and began to walk out the door. Okay, panic. Karen searched her brain, trying to find something, anything to say.

"Oh, by the way…" He turned around and waited patiently.

"Um, by the way…I just…um…" This was getting awkward.

"You just…" He prompted kindly.

"I just…like your tie today." She finished lamely. He looked down at his tie and looked up smiling.

"Thanks." He walked out the door and back to his desk. Karen slumped against the counter miserably.

"I like your _tie_ today?" She muttered to herself. "Ugh."

"You are such a nervous driver." Jim laughed. Tess slowed down at a yellow light.

'No I'm not!" She protested, smiling. "I'm just…careful."

"Careful is a polite word for nervous."

"Myth!"

"Fact."

"Its not."

"It is. Trust me, it is."

"I would hit you if I wasn't driving." She said driving as the light turned green. Jim smiled in the late afternoon sunshine that warmed the entire car. He actually loved the way she drove. She sort of hunched down, keeping her eyes on the road, always keeping one foot hovering over the brake. He liked the way she panicked when it rained tilting her head this way and that, to avoid whichever way the windshield wipers swished. He liked the way the sunshine filtered through the window, lighting up the red in her hair. Without thinking, he leant over and kissed her cheek quickly. She squealed and gripped the steering wheel tighter. He laughed. He loved her – he really did. She made him gentler and he strengthened her. They were the perfect couple.

**Okay, so I know these chapters are short, I just have to update several stories so it may take awhile. But I promise when I finish those (which will be really soon) I'll get into this one. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thankyou for reading! Reviews are wonderful (wink, wink, hint, hint)! **


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I own zilch.**

Pam caught Karen's eye, yet again. It had been going on all day. She wondered if she should say something to her – but what? There was no real reason to have tension between them. And then there was Jim, he seemed to be linked up in this too. Pam hadn't expected things to be exactly the same when she returned to Scranton, but she thought he would be more…well, Jim. Pam sighed and looked down at her desk, breaking eye contact with Karen. What was going on? This was so weird. It was like some silent love triangle or scandal or something. Pam peeked up through her hair and watched Jim for a moment. He was talking to someone on the phone.

"Yeah, about 2 more hours." He said. He was silent for a second.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He laughed. "Okay, great." He was silent for another second and then –

"Yeah, go ahead." He grinned and leant back in his chair. After a minute or so, he burst out laughing and sat up straight.

"Is that _true_?" Ugh, this was driving Pam crazy! She would've thought he was talking to a friend, but his eyes were bright and he seemed happier. Could it be…no, she couldn't bear that. She couldn't. Pam quickly snapped her head down and blocked out the rest of Jim's conversation.

Karen tried to keep her eyes glued to her computer, to avoid meeting Pam's eyes. Problem was, she couldn't _not_ glance at Jim, and every time she looked at Jim she caught Pam's eye. Awkwardness would generally ensue. She started a chant in her head. _Keep looking at the screen, don't look, don't look, don't_….she looked. Did she have no self control? She forced herself not to bang her head against her desk. Plenty of time for that when she got home, she reasoned. Why didn't she stay in New York? She moved here for Jim, and…well, it wasn't that great. She forgot her promise not to look and stared at him. He was on the phone. Suddenly, Karen got an idea…did she dare? It was so unlike her! She usually wasn't sneaky and nosy but…what if…_if_…she could get connect Jim's phone to hers? She didn't stop to think and quickly pressed a few buttons on her phone, and then snatched it up. She could now hear the conversation. She glanced around, guilt churning in her stomach but when she heard the female voice on the other end, she forgot all about it.

"So, when do you finish work? You finish at 5, right?" Karen hated her already. Mystery girl's voice was sweet, gentle and warm. And _sparkly_. How could a voice even _be_ sparkly? Karen wondered.

"Yeah, about 2 more hours." Jim replied.

"Okay, well, I can pick you up a bit earlier if you're ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. One less moment with Dwight, right?" She laughed a warm, full laugh, like music. He'd told her about Dwight!

"Okay, great."

"Hey, you want to hear what happened to my friend Alexa the other day?"

"Yeah, go ahead." He was grinning. Karen gently hung up the phone, making sure it wouldn't click. She felt numb. On one hand, she felt incredibly guilty. She couldn't believe she'd just listened in on a conversation. On the other hand…Jim had a…new girl?

Jim swung his bag over his shoulder and waved to Karen.

"See ya, Pam." He tapped his knuckles on her desk. Why did that make her sad now?

"Bye Jim." She answered. Pam watched him leave the room and then…Karen slipped pass into the conference room. Okay, Pam couldn't take it anymore. She should talk to Karen. She stood up, brushed off her skirt and followed Karen into the conference room. Karen was standing at the window, craning her neck. Pam opened her mouth to say something…but thought better of it. She joined Karen at the window. They both looked at each other, about to say something but instead, they just looked at each other for a moment and then resumed looking out the window. They watched as Jim walked out the door and…into the arms of some girl. Karen let out a small gasp as Jim lightly kissed the girl's lips. Next to her, Pam's mouth hung open slightly.

"No _way_…" she whispered under her breath. Jim and the girl were holding hands now and walking to a shiny blue car. The girl tilted her head at something he said and laughed. The sunlight caught her hair and made it shine auburn, setting off her large green eyes, even from the conference room. Jim and the girl drove off together, leaving Karen and Pam speechless. After a moment they turned to look at each other. Both just stood there, stunned, shaking their heads in disbelief.

**Ahh, what will go down! I promise longer chapters ASAP! Now, I really didn't plan on making more chapters for this story, so I haven't planned the entire thing yet, but I'm really enjoying writing it. It's interesting to write about Jim with another girl. Anyway, please review! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Yep, still don't own it.**

**Note: Just wanted to thankyou all for the lovely reviews – truly make my day! **

Pam took a deep breath. Monday morning, a new week and she still couldn't wrap her head around what she'd seen. Jim? Okay, so maybe it was completely crazy, but truthfully? Pam couldn't really see Jim with anyone outside of the office. She didn't really know why, but it just seemed weird. That…that girl, she was just such a…a stranger. Pam was still in bed, staring at her ceiling. Every morning, the same ceiling, the same feeling. Lonely, empty, regretful…she wanted Jim. Why had she ever turned him down? Why? And now she'd lost her chance and he'd slipped between her fingers. Pam stared determinedly at her ceiling. There were 4 brown spots on the white ceiling where water had leaked through. She'd painted over them, but the edges were still frilled with brown, like flowers.

"He loves me…he loves me not…he loves me…" Pam whispered under the breath. "…he loves me not.

Karen was driving herself crazy. She couldn't eat or sleep or work or think straight. Who was this stupid mystery girl? She wasn't sure why this mattered to her so much – yes, she liked Jim, but this was obsessive. It was just so…mysterious. She didn't even know this girl's name. It was probably something gorgeous and sparkly, Karen thought bitterly, like Grace or…or Amelia or Ruby. Karen hated the clunky sound of her name. Okay, this was ridiculous. Why did this matter so much to her? It was just a name – insignificant name of mystery girl. Damn that mysterious, lucky girl. And damn Jim Halpert. For breaking her heart.

Tess smiled sweetly at Larissa, Jim's younger sister, who was just a couple of years younger then Jim. She was around Tess' age and they were close friends.

"So, on Friday," Tess said. "Jim's going to introduce me to all his co workers. I'm kind of excited." Larissa raised her eyebrows, looking exactly like Jim.

"Excited? You realize you will be teased mercilessly and judged, right? Dwight, ring a bell? Angela?" They both laughed and sipped their tea.

"Yeah, it's that kind of nervous excited." She explained.

"I'd still cut out the excited bit altogether."

"We'll see." Tess smiled. Jim walked in and they both looked up. He stopped and looked back and forth between them.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Larissa laughed. "I'm just warning Tess about Friday."

"Oh, she'll be fine. It's just a beet farmer and Michael Scott."

"Not to mention a few others." Tess looked at them with mock worry.

"Are you sure I'm ready for this? Maybe I should wait a few more years, until I'm older." All 3 laughed and Jim sat on the arm of the armchair Tess was sitting on. He leant down and kissed her head.

"You'll be fine." He repeated, smiling. "You'll be fine." Larissa just looked at them both and smiled knowingly.

**So, what'd you think? Reviews would be awesome. Thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Yeeeah, you know what I'm going to say. No, I don't own The Office. **

"Hey, Pam." Jim said casually, leaning against her desk Tuesday morning.

"Jim! Hi!" Oops, did she sound too eager? Pam bit her lip. But she desperately wanted Jim to tell her about this girl. She wanted to hear him say it, confirm it, rather than hear it from someone else_. C'mon, Jim_, she thought. _Just say it. I can take it_. She closed her eyes briefly and waited. _Maybe you __can't__ take it_, though. A small voice persisted, somewhere in her mind. Pam gritted her teeth and opened her eyes to face Jim.

"No, I _can_ take it!" Jim snapped his head up in surprise.

"What? Beesly, did you say something?" Pam's eyes widened. Oh man, did she just say that aloud? She really was going crazy.

"Uh…no, no. Just thinking aloud." She laughed nervously, feeling heat creep up her neck. _Please, kill me now._

"Hey…so I just wanted to let you know something." Jim said slowly, looking her in the eyes. She watched him swallow hard. This was it. She felt unexpected tears press against her eyes but she blinked them back and sat a little straighter.

"Go ahead." She said in a controlled voice.

"Well, I just…I just thought you should know…" He began nervously. "I'm seeing someone…and it's sort of serious." Ouch. Even though she'd seen it, known what he was going to say, she was still taken by surprise. So it was true. That was it. She slumped slightly and felt her heart slowly turn numb.

"Oh…" Okay, in all the times she'd run this over in her head, why, _why_, hadn't she practiced what to say back? "Oh…okay. Um, thank-you for telling me." She smiled weakly.

"Cool…"

"Cool…" Jim smiled; looking relieved and began to walk back to his desk.

"Jim." Pam called out before she could stop herself. She had to know. "So, when do I get to meet her?" A smile spread on her face, for some reason. Jim grinned back.

"She's coming to work this Friday, actually."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it." And for some totally unknown reason, she was. Maybe it would be good just to meet this girl.

"Me too."

Karen watched Jim and Pam talk. She watched Pam carefully. She didn't let on much of a reaction – maybe they were just talking work. She sat back down at her desk and began to look through some files. When she looked up a few minutes later…he was there. He had that famous Halpert smile but his Adam's apple was bobbing nervously. It was so sweet, she couldn't help smiling.

"Hey, Jim. What's up?" _That's it, Karen. Keep calm, stay in control. _

"Hey. Nothing much, uh…I just, wanted to tell you something." _Keep smiling, keep smiling. _

"Okay. Sure." Jim looked at the floor for a moment and then back at her. He smiled nervously and shuffled his feet.

"Huh…I uh, I just wanted to tell you, I'm dating someone. And it's going really well; actually, she's coming to meet everyone on Friday." She hated the way he smiled when he talked about her. She tried to breathe. She kept a smile pasted on her face and made sure not blink, because if she did, for sure these tears would spill over. _Say anything. Just say something._

"Wow, that's great! I'm happy for you." She managed.

"Thanks. Anyway, I guess that's it."

"Okay, great. Um, talk to you later."

"See you around." Karen stared at her computer screen and counted to 200 hundred. Then she stood up, and keeping her head down, she walked calmly into the girls' room. She was relieved to find it empty. She slipped into a stall, locked the door and sat on the closed toilet seat. She stared at the shut door for a moment and then the unexpected, cold tears started to slip down her face. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. What was happening to her? She was crumbling. Karen Filippelli never cried. She just didn't.

Jim started the car and started driving home. Tess was working that afternoon – she worked at a small bookstore that was joined to a coffee shop _and_ florist. All one store. Tess loved it. She was forever carrying the old bouquets of flowers they were going to throw out or a couple of books they were planning to give away. She was always saying how nice to people who owned it were, how sweet and friendly.

"Plus," she always added. "It's all my favourite things in one – flowers, books and coffee or tea."

"Win-win." Jim would always reply.

"Win-win-win!" She knew the routine well.

"Exactly. We all win." Jim smiled. It had been a good day. It felt good to tell Pam and Karen about Tess and get it off his chest. Tess worried a lot about them, if they'd be sad or hurt. She sure worried a lot and Jim sort of liked that. Because most of the time she worried about other people and not herself. She was very sensitive to others. How many times they'd stop to rescue a stray kitten or a broken winged bird or save a child's escaped balloon. Countless times. Jim liked the way her brow furrowed when she was worried or distressed. He always ran a finger along her brow to straighten it out and then she'd laugh and smile that wonderful, sunny, bright smile that he loved so much. Jim grinned and parked his car in his driveway. He sat in the car for a moment, simply smiling. Life was good.

**Hey! Updated twice today. Pretty good. Anyway, review please! Thanks for reading, muchly appreciated. =D**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: Still working on it.**

**Dear everybody: thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou for the wonderful reviews! Totally make my day. **

Pam stared hard at the door. She was waiting for this girl to come. She didn't even know her name, but this was important. _Really_ important. She jumped every time a car beeped; she spilt her coffee when Stanley walked in late. Pam cleared her throat and glanced at Karen. In a way, this whole thing was kind of good – she and Karen were becoming pretty good friends, now that they couldn't really compete over Jim. Karen raised her eyebrows at her, and nodded towards the door. Pam practically snapped her neck; she looked at it so fast. Opening it was a pretty young woman, in a simple light blue sundress with short sleeves and a row of buttons down the middle that fell just above her knees. Her hair was a shiny auburn brown that tumbled down her shoulders and framed her pale face, setting off her green eyes. She looked so summery and sweet. She ducked her head slightly and smiled shyly at Pam.

"Hi." She said. Her voice was nice too – damn it, Pam thought. Jim looked up at the noise and burst into a smile.

"Hey!" He walked over and kissed her on the cheek, then, taking her hand, turned to Pam.

"Pam, this is Tess. I told you she was coming today. Tess, this is my friend Pam." Pam swallowed a scream and stood up, reaching over to shake Tess' hand.

"Nice to meet you." She managed to say.

"You too! Jim's told me so much about you." Tess exclaimed. Jim grinned.

"Well, um, welcome to Dunder Mifflin I guess." Tess laughed sweetly.

"Oh, thankyou. Do you like it here?" Wow. That was probably the first time anyone had asked that question, genuinely interested.

"Oh, uh…" Pam glanced at Jim who was suppressing a laugh. She felt like laughing too. That felt good, like she and Jim were just, real friends again, like they used to be. Pam smiled a real smile and turned back to Tess.

"Well, it's…its okay, I guess." Tess nodded a little and smiled.

"You hate it, don't you?"

"Yup, pretty much." They all laughed then.

"Okay, well, I'll introduce you to everyone else now." Jim said.

"Okay. 'Bye Pam. It was nice meeting you." Tess smiled and walked away with Jim.

"You too." Pam muttered, suddenly bitter again, watching Jim lead her away, his hand on the small part of her back. That girl was _way_ too lucky.

Jim introduced Tess to Angela, Creed, Meredith, Oscar and Kevin before deciding to give her a break. She'd handled them all pretty well. Angela even sniffed approvingly. Sort of. So, Jim decided to let her meet Karen.

"Hey Karen." Karen looked up happily at the sound of Jim's voice but at the sight of Tess, her smile faded.

"Um…hi." She tried to smile.

"This is Tess, Tess, this is Karen."

"Hi."

"Hi." Tess shook her hand and smiled. Karen forced herself to smile back. There was an awkward silence.

"So, how did you guys meet?" Karen blurted out, then immediately regretted it. Like she really wanted to hear about their lives. Tess and Jim looked at each other and grinned happily.

"Well, actually, Larissa, Jim's sister," Tess began. I _know_ who Larissa is! Karen thought irritably.

"…is my close friend."

"And then I bought a book from the place where Tess works. But I still didn't know she was Larissa's friend." Jim went on.

"Yeah, he bought To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee." Tess chimed in.

"Right. Anyway, about 2 days later, I went to this carnival at night. There was a full moon, right?" Jim continued.

"And somehow, we ended up in the same carriage for the Ferris wheel." Tess piped up. Karen kept on smiling, trying to look interested, but really she was just getting mad. A full moon? A Ferris wheel? How much more romantic could this get?

"And, we got stuck on the top." Tess explained.

"Of course."

"Of course." Of _course_, Karen thought.

"Tess started freaking out." Jim said, hugging her from behind. Tess shrugged.

"I'm not great with heights." She admitted. "So, Jim was just so sweet, trying to calming me down."

"By the time we got down to the ground, we were in love." Jim finished, smiling warmly. Tess blushed a pretty pink, looking pleased. Karen smiled, gritting her teeth.

"Wow…that's, uh, so romantic!" She said. Jim laughed. Just then, Michael walked out of his office and his eyes widened when he saw Tess.

"Ah! A new member to our family? And no one told me?" He cried.

"Run, now, save yourself!" Jim whispered jokingly to Tess, but took her hand and escorted her away to meet Michael. If Tess wasn't so pretty and nice, Karen might actually feel bad for her. But hey, _she_ had to put up with Michael everyday, _and _she didn't get to date Jim.

Jim had left Tess with Kelly for a few minutes. Usually he wouldn't leave her with a stranger, (especially not one of the people he worked with…) since she was shy but Kelly would talk enough for the both of them. And besides, Jim really couldn't bear hearing the entire plot of Bridget Jones yet _again. _Jim looked up at Dwight, who was looking alert. He still didn't believe that Jim was dating Tess since she actually knew a couple of bear facts. He was sure it was some elaborate prank.

"I really think I've pushed you over the edge, Dwight." Jim said seriously. Dwight sighed and glared at Jim. Jim smiled and looked over his shoulder. Kelly and Tess were laughing over something.

"Impossible. They are actually having a conversation. A two sided one!" He said under his breath.

"Wow. I think Tess just made Dunder Mifflin history." Pam added from her desk. Jim laughed; he hadn't realized she was listening. He looked at Tess again and nodded. All things considered, his co workers had acted fairly normal today. Well, normal for them.

**What'd you think? Review, review please! Thanks for reading, xx. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Dear everyone: thankyou for the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them. **

Pam frowned. Gosh, was it just her or was she frowning all the time now? Or maybe that was sighing. Pam sighed. Maybe it was both. It was probably both. Her eyes hurt from playing so many games of solitaire and minesweeper on her computer and she rubbed at them tiredly. Tess had come into the office to pick Jim up 2 times in the past week and every time Michael got excited, Dwight would challenge her with a new brainteaser (so far she'd known every one of his) and even Angela would crack a smile. Well, a half smile anyway. So what? Pam though. So, everyone loves Tess. So she's nice and pretty and perfect for Jim. That doesn't mean anything. Karen seems perfect for Jim but they aren't together. It doesn't _mean_ anything. Pam looked at the clock – 4.30. Half an hour. Half an hour to long.

Karen glared at Dwight. She could see him searching riddles on his computer.

"Dwight, she doesn't care okay? Tess doesn't care! She'll figure them out and…and, look just nobody cares, okay? Quit trying to impress her with your knowledge." Karen snapped. Why was everyone so eager to please this girl?

"It's not a matter of impressing her! It's a matter of winning, Karen!" Dwight shot back. "It's a priority!"

"You're wasting work time."

"Oh, please." Dwight scoffed. "I work enough for the both of us…and Jim!" He added as an afterthought.

"And probably Stanley too…Pam even, I'd say." He seemed to be talking more to himself now and Karen tuned him out.

"Aha!" Dwight leapt up from his desk, looking triumphant. He looked over at Jim.

"Jim, tell me quickly, is Tess coming today?"

"Uhh, yeah Dwight. Why?"

"Joy." Pam muttered under her breath sarcastically.

"I have a new brainteaser for her. It is going to _turn_ her _brain _inside out!" He said excitedly. Jim sighed and opened his mouth to say something, but as an afterthought he just resumed working. Dwight was still looking in victory at his computer screen when Tess walked in. Karen glanced up then looked back down, murmuring some choice words under her breath.

"Hey." Tess greeted Pam with a big smile and walked over to Jim's desk. Pam stayed silent.

"Tess!" Dwight leapt up and almost knocked over his chair. "_Brainteaser_."

"Hit me." Tess put her palms on Jim's desk and leant forward, acting like she was thinking hard.

"There a pair of identical twins. One always lies and one always tells the truth. You come to a fork in the road." Dwight started to talk dramatically. "You must figure out which way to go! You can only ask _one_ question to _one_ twin and you do _not_ know which is which." He shook his head in mock pity. "_What_…do you ask?" He finished slowly. He smirked, clearly sure he had gotten her this time. A smile spread on Tess' face.

"Gosh. That's a hard one…" She thought for a moment.

"Okay, you ask: which path would your twin tell me to take?" Dwight smacked the desk angrily.

"Dammit!" Tess beamed.

"Nice try." She smirked.

"Ah, my girlfriend, the genius." Jim grinned.

"It was one brainteaser, Jim, hardly a genius." Dwight sneered.

"It was more then one!" Tess said defensively. Dwight sat down and immediately began to tap away on his keyboard.

"Just. Drop. _It_." Karen muttered through gritted teeth.

"That's what she said!" Michael laughed, bursting out of his office.

**Haha, so please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Thanks for reading! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so some people said that my story seems to be wandering, which I guess is true. Mostly I've just been exercising my writing as I never really planned on making more chapters originally. But anyway, I'm going to try and make something happen in this story. Hope you enjoy. **

Pam sat down at a table in the break room with her coffee. The room was empty and Pam was glad. She wasn't in the mood to make conversation. Just as she took the first sip of her coffee, Karen marched in, shut the door and sat down.

"Um, hi Karen." Karen folded her hands on the table, looking very business like.

'Hi. Look, Pam, I'm just going to cut to the chase here, because there's really no good way to say this. I think we should get rid of Tess." Pam opened her mouth in horror.

"Not like, poison her or anything!" Karen exclaimed hastily. She lowered her voice. "I just mean, make her and Jim break up."

"Karen! Even so. Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah."

"Karen, that's so…5th grade." Pam cracked a smile and Karen sighed.

"Look, I know this all sounds very jealous girls and childish plans but seriously, Pam? I'm just saying that they're getting very serious very fast and we deserve a chance. I mean, we've known Jim for ages, and let's face it; we both like him a lot. If anyone should have him, its one of us."

"It's Jim's life. It's his business." Pam said quietly.

"But it's not fair that we had to live in agony all this time and then Tess comes along and gets him. I mean…I just…"

"I see where you're coming from." Pam interrupted. "But it's not really up to us, is it I-" Stanley walked in at that moment and Pam fell silent. Both women stared into space, lost in their own thoughts until Stanley left. Finally, Karen sighed.

"Just think about it, okay?" She stood up and walked out. Pam continued to stare into her coffee. There was exactly one grain of sugar on top that for some reason hadn't sunk or dissolved. She watched it bob there, alone.

Karen walked back to her desk and sat down. She picked up the phone…and set it back down again. Well, even if Pam didn't want in, she could still do something, couldn't she? Yes. She didn't stop to think twice. It was near the end of the day and Tess was in the parking lot, waiting for Jim. Karen looked around, then jumped up and walked downstairs. No one seemed to notice. All the way to the parking lot, Karen felt her heart thumping until she reached Tess.

"Hey…" she took a deep breath. Tess looked up.

"Oh, hi!" She smiled brightly.

"So, how are you?"

"Fine, I'm a little tired. What about you?"

"Fine, fine. I'm fine." Tess nodded politely. Karen decided to just go for it.

"Look, the reason I came down here was that, I just wanted to say how _glad_ I am that Jim has _finally_ settled down with someone." Tess smiled, a little shakily.

"Finally?"

"Hm-mh." Karen said. She tried to act casual. "I mean, he's been with so many girls. Gosh, it must have been what? 15? Just since I've known him."

"15!" Karen watched Tess' eyes widen and she felt a mean sort of pleasure. Who was she? She barely knew the voice coming out of her mouth, but she ploughed on.

"I really thought he was serious with a couple of them…he stayed with a couple for longer then he's been with you, but it never worked out." Tess furrowed her brow, looking confused.

"Oh…well, things seem pretty good with us." She said warily.

"Oh, I know! I'm just so happy that Jim's found someone…or, at least, it _seems _he has." Karen tried really hard not to smile. She felt so mean…but so triumphant.

"Jim didn't tell me about these girls."

"No, he doesn't talk about them much. Once they break up, its like he just forgets about them."

"That doesn't sound like Jim, though." Tess said loyally. Karen gritted her teeth.

"You never know." She said lightly. Alright, that was enough for now, she thought.

"Anyway. Just wanted to say how happy I was and um, yeah." Tess nodded, trying to smile.

"Oh, cool. Um, okay. Thanks."

"Oh, and Tess? Don't mention that I told you, okay? Jim probably doesn't want to have those memories back again." Tess nodded silently.

"Okay, bye." Karen smiled brightly and spun on her heel, walking back inside the building. Mission accomplished. She sat down at her desk and was about to pick up the phone again when she noticed a Post It on her computer screen in Pam's handwriting. _I'm in_, it read. Karen smiled.

Jim walked outside, wrapping his coat around him. The wind was heavy today. He smiled at Tess.

"Hey." She smiled awkwardly.

"…Hey."

"What's wrong?" She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Nothing…it's just. I heard something sort of weird today. And I was just sort of wondering why you didn't mention it."

"Mention what?"

"Um…okay, this is a hard thing to say." She cleared her throat. "Um, have you dated like…um, a lot of girls?" Jim raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"I know that sounds really stupid. But I was talking to someone today and they said that since they've known you, you've dated something like 15 girls? And it's not a big deal if you have…I guess…I just want to know why you didn't tell me?"

"Whoa, slow down." He took her by the shoulder, confused.  
"You heard _what_?" She repeated what she'd said.

"Wait and you believed them? I told you about my past relationships. I have never dated anyone besides those people, unless you included Ellie Manis from kindergarten and that lasted for 2 days." Tess opened her mouth to reply but Jim cut her off.

"Wait, wait, who told you this?" She shook her head.

"That's not important. But…just tell me. Is it true?" She swallowed hard.

"No! No, no way. I can't believe you would believe that."

"Well, I trust that person."

"They must have been mistaken. I told you everything, okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"Me too." They hugged tightly for a minute, and then walked back to the car, hands linked.

**So, what did you think? I think I'm going to take a break from this story – I will ****definitely**** finish it, I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that **** But I really have to update a few other stories so it might be a little while before I update again. Not too long, though, so stay tuned. Please don't give up on me. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Xx **


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own The Office….yet. Okay, maybe never. I AM SO SORRY, I haven't updated in forever. I've just been having a really bad time lately (all better now) and also, I started a new story, a heart full of hope. Seriously, why do I always start stories when I'm still not finished my other ones? Oh well. Anyway, sorry again, and hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Pam felt bad about getting rid of Tess. She really did. It was incredibly unlike her. However, on the other hand, if she didn't get rid of her now, she wouldn't stop wanting to claw her eyes out. So, all in all, Pam figured it was probably best to just break them up.

"I feel like I'm in seventh grade." She admitted to Karen.

"Yeah, so do I, kind of." Karen answered.

"Why are we doing this again?"

"Because we've liked him longer, plus their not right for each other. Trust me."

"Those are seventh grade reasons." Pam pointed out. Karen smiled dryly.

"Well, you know what they say. You can take the girl out of seventh grade, but you can't take seventh grade out of the girl." Karen countered. Pam laughed. Why wasn't she friends with Karen before? Oh yeah, the Jim thing. Why, why, _why_ did her entire life revolve around him? Damn seventh grade.

"Okay, so what's our first move? Or, second I should say." Karen had told her about what she'd said to Tess.

"Well, I don't really know. I had a few ideas, but they seem too mean. I was thinking we should just make this a really bad day for Tess. You know, she's coming in this afternoon. We just make it a bad day in general. Maybe she'll snap and have a fight with Jim!" Pam raised her eyebrows.

"You sound excited." Karen shrugged and smiled.

"I am, sort of." She said.

"Okay. Well, I guess we could do that."

"Excellent." Karen walked away just as Tess walked in. She smiled weakly at Pam. She seemed tired.

"Hey."

"Hi." Pam thought rapidly of what she could do. "Are you okay?" She stalled for time.

"I'm okay. Just really tired." She's already weak. Good. Pam thought evilly.

"Well, you know what they say!" She chirped too brightly. "You're never fully dressed without a smile!" Pam absolutely hated that phrase. Of course you were fully dressed. God, sometimes you just didn't want to smile. Of course, _Tess_ didn't know this. But she just smiled.

"Yeah, your right." She agreed. Pam was surprised. That phrase alone made her want to snap and she was the one saying it. She stood up quickly and in one swift movement, without thinking anything through, she accidentally-on-purpose spilt the remainder of her tea onto Tess' shoulder. She watched as Tess gave a little jump.

"Ah!" She cried.

"Oh, my gosh! I am so, so sorry!" Pam bit her lip hard to keep from laughing. What the hell was wrong with her? She never did stuff like this!

"Oh…its okay. Really. It's not your fault." Tess said kindly. Pam gritted her teeth.

Karen was better at ruining someone's day. She was naturally confident.

"Hi Tess." She said brightly and falsely.

"Hey Karen. How are you?"

"Wonderful. What about you?" She furrowed her brow in mock care. "You look _terrible._" She smiled.

"Oh…um…well, I am really tired."

"I can tell," Karen nodded solemnly. "You have shadows under your eyes."

"I do?" Tess touched under her eyes.

"Yes." Tess bit her lip. Good.

"Oh well. So, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"That story. Everyone's telling it!" Karen widened her eyes. She knew Tess was sensitive to other people's feelings. Tell her a sad story, Karen figured, and…bingo.

"What story? What happened?" Tess asked.

"Oh, I can't believe no one told you. Well, there was a guy who had never loved in his life. He lived alone in a small house. He wasted his life away and got terribly depressed. Like, really badly depressed. Well, one day he fell in love."

"That's great! How romantic." Tess said.

"Yes, but there's more. Anyway, he fell in love and had the best month of his life. He saw his life reward for all his regrets. Falling in love was a splendour encased in his heart." Karen sighed deeply for effect.

"What happened?"

"She died soon after they met." Tess' eyes widened.

"What did he do?"

"He went to bed. He lay there for until he died, 5 days later."

"Is…was that a true story?"

"Of course." Actually, she saw most of it in a movie, but she'd made up the ending. Tess' eyes filled with tears. God, she is sensitive. Karen thought in disgust.

"How sad." She said softly.

"Yep. Well, see ya." Karen couldn't help laughing a little inside as she walked away. Later, she rang Tess' phone 12 times on a private number, hanging up each time. She told Dwight that Tess wanted to know how to butcher a goose, then stood back and watched as Tess grew paler and paler and Dwight discussed in great detail how to kill it. Oh, yeah. This was fun.

Jim walked out whistling as usual. Tess had to get some air after Dwight had explained how to clean up the blood of a goose, so she was waiting by the car. He walked towards her and wrapped her in a hug. He began to pull away after a moment, but she pulled him back.

"Not yet." She said. He laughed.

"Still hugging, still hugging." He assured her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her when they pulled away. She shook her head in bewilderment.

"Bad day." She said.

"Welcome to my world." He laughed, gesturing to the office. She raised her eyebrows.

"Poor you." She said, kissing his cheek. They walked to the car. Karen and Pam watched from the break room window.

"She's unbreakable." Karen said in dismay.

"They are inseparable." Pam said miserably. They sighed in unison.

**Well, I don't know how this chapter went. I'm planning to wrap this up in about 2 more chapters, and I promise I will update really soon! Thanks for reading, reviews are fantastic! Xx **


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I own zero, zip, zilch.**

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! I know I haven't updated in a little while, I honestly meant to, but then exams came up and seeing as I've only drawn on my book for all of semester 2 science, I figured I should study. But it's my study break, so here I am! Again, sorry. Enjoy! **

Pam waited impatiently outside the building, her breaths making puffs of mist in the frosty air. It was surprisingly cold that morning, and between all the trees stretched tangles of lacy spider webs, glittering and sparkling. Pam checked her watch – why couldn't Karen have suggested meeting _inside_ somewhere? And God, she set up the meeting, why was she so late?

"Pam! Sorry I'm late." Karen ran up behind her, wrapped in a coat and scarf.

"Hey." Pam said, teeth chattering slightly. "What's this all about?" Karen rolled her eyes.

"3 guesses." She raised her eyebrows.

"Tess." Pam sighed.

"Got it in one. Okay, so enough games. Now we go in for the kill!" Karen jumped right in. "Were not bothering with making her day bad and blah, blah, blah. We've really gotta sabotage their relationship. Heres the plan. I'll start crying over something – we'll say…I don't know, I'll say my dog died. Anyway, I'll get Jim to comfort me, and then _you_ somehow get _Tess_ to see us hugging and you say…"

"Hold on!" Pam interrupted. "You want to make Tess think Jim is _cheating _on her? She'll never believe it. She's crazy about Jim; she knows he'd never do that."

"Well, its only part 1." Karen explained. "Later today, you get a flat tire! You ask Jim…" She was off again, chattering away and planning (well, scheming really) leaving Pam lost in her own thoughts. Because Pam wasn't really sure if she wanted to do that. At lunchtime, Pam sat alone in the break room, stirring her yoghurt around absently.

"Hey Pam." Jim said casually as he walked in, heading for the soda machine.

"Hey…" Pam replied. She watched him, playing ever move over again in her head. He studied the selection drinks, but she knew he knew already what he wanted – grape soda. The way he slipped the coins in the slot one by one, and punched in the numbers gently. The way his hair fell a little in front of his eyes as he bent to pick up the can.

"Can I…ask you something?" She felt her hands get clammy and her throat starting to ache. She was going to cry and she had no idea why. He paused.

"Sure." Now she wasn't sure what to ask. She wanted to know but she didn't know how to ask him.

"What's it…you know, like? Being with Tess?" She asked, very aware that her voice was wobbling. He looked a little taken back but he considered the question. He ducked his head a little, smiling.

"Well…I don't know exactly how to explain it." He was looking warily at her now. "Try." She choked out. He looked at her carefully for a moment and knew she wanted more of an answer.

"Okay. It's like…it's like when I'm not with her its okay, but everything is kind of…padded. Cloudy? It doesn't feel exactly real. And then when I see her, its like everything lights up and everything seems somehow better. I feel empty without her and…yeah. She's like…" He took a breath. Pam wondered if he knew she was still there. "Sunshine." He shook his head a little.

"I know, I didn't explain it very…well." He said, shrugging. Pam shook her head and tried to find words. She couldn't get her voice box to work. He was in love. He was in love and it wasn't with her. She felt an ache in her chest and throat.

"No." She said. "You explained it perfectly. He nodded and started to walk away.

"Jim?" She found her voice somewhere.

"Yeah?"

"Does she make you happy?" Every single noise, every scent, every feeling flooded out of her. Nothing mattered. Just this one, tiny thing and it would determine everything. She felt like she was underwater. Jim looked at her silently for a minute.

"Yeah. She really does." He spoke softly. She understood then. She knew she had to stop.

Karen smiled to herself. Pam hadn't been so sure about the plan, but Karen knew it would all be worth it. Of course, it wasn't over yet. She still had to wait for Tess to come. She wondered of there was a way she could speed this up…hmm. She felt a little (okay, a lot) bad, but she really could not sit back and watch him get away. She hummed under her breath as she walked back to her desk. Suddenly she stopped, a sharp pain in her side. She stifled a gasp. A memory flooded her head. God, it was so stupid. But she was remembering a time in 4th grade. 4th grade of all things! She sunk into her chair, keeping her head down, remembering how Aaron Dallas had randomly claimed she was his girlfriend one day. They held hands sometimes and he chased her on the playground, but to her it was love. She'd told all her friends. Karen smiled slightly, remembering how Stephanie Sutton's eyes had grown wide with awe and respect. They were 'boyfriend and girlfriend' for almost 2 weeks until one Thursday, Lisa something offered him half her sandwich. After that, he was chasing _her_ on the playground and pulling on _her _braid. Karen had held her head high, ignoring it.

"Were just having and little break from each other." She told her friends with dignity, even at 9 years of age, pretending her stomach hadn't dropped and her heart wasn't sinking. Pretending she wasn't about to burst into tears or smack him, or better, that stupid Lisa. Was she about to do that to Tess? No…that was ridiculous, Karen tried to shake the thought out of her head. God, she was 9. She was just a kid. This was different. Totally different. Or was it?

"Maybe its worse…" Karen muttered to herself. Was it worse? She considered, feeling that forgotten stomach drop. This was more serious, wasn't it? She was just a kid then, Aaron Dallas was only 9! Lisa was probably just 8! Jim was an adult, Tess was an adult…they knew what they were doing. Jim wasn't chasing Tess on the playground and she wasn't bribing him with half a sandwich. Karen felt beads of sweat popping up on her forehead and tears behind her eyes. Oh, God! And she, Karen, she was _Lisa!_ She raised her head and was greeted by a post it on her computer, from Pam. It said only 2 words. _It's over_. And Karen knew it was.

It had been a weird day for Jim. He'd woken up on the floor beside his bed. He hadn't fallen out of bed since he was 6. He actually found matching socks which was definitely weird, especially since he'd found them under 1 minute. He saw a guy who looked like Dwight on his way to work, which almost gave him a heart attack. And then there was that conversation with Pam. Like things could get any weirder. But despite the weirdness, it had been a good day and it was only going to get better. He could feel it. And he could feel the small ring box in his pocket. He couldn't help smiling every time he thought of it, although he was incredibly nervous. He swallowed hard as he walked out of the building. And there she was. Talking to Andy. In a simple, sleeveless white sundress with an empire waist, she looked gorgeous.

"Cornell?" She was saying. "That's great."

"Yeah, I get that all the time." Andy bragged.

"Hey." Jim smiled as he walked up.

"Hey." Tess smiled sweetly.

"Oh, hey Big Tuna." Andy grinned and punched him on the shoulder. Well, tried to. He actually sort of slapped his elbow since Jim was so tall. Jim smiled but said goodbye.

"C'mon." He said to Tess, smiling. His heart was pounding, his hands were clammy and he couldn't keep a goofy grin off his face. He took her by the hand and led her to the car, driving to a large field. The grass was a little bent and just bit brown but pretty wildflowers made up for that. Tess smiled, looking confused.

"Where are we?" She asked. "I mean, not that I'm complaining. It's really pretty; I just don't know were we are."

"You don't recognize it?" Jim asked. She shook her head no. "I guess its looks different without the rides. This was where that fair was." She looked shocked and happy.

"Aw!" She cried excitedly. "That's so nice!" She stood silently, surveying it. And when she turned around, Jim got down on one knee…

**Okay. This was the second last chapter! GASP! I hope that all made sense. Karen and Pam just decided not to break them up and then Jim proposed to Tess. **** I really hope you liked this chapter, please let me know! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Xx **


	11. Chapter 11

**Well. This is it! Last chapter! Thankyou all so, so much for reading this story and leaving those lovely reviews, they mean a lot to me. **** Big thankyou to all my regular reviewers: ****TaioraWarrior****, ****MysticDollhouse****, ****YANIsweetness7****…all of you guys rock!**

**You **_**all **_**rock! Hope you enjoyed this story, I loved writing it. Sad it's ending…**

**P.S Oh and I still don't own anything…YET. **

It was a rainy, wet day and Pam Beesly was just entering a bookstore she had just discovered on the corner of a quiet street. She immediately felt warm from the cold weather as soon as she entered, and found herself in the best bookstore she'd ever seen. Fairy lights were strung everywhere and cushy armchairs were positioned over the shop for customers to settle down in and read a book. Wall to wall there were shelves of books. Basically, the walls were bookshelves packed with books. The employees (Pam assumed) were serving pretty cupcakes and cups of tea. It was cosy and warm and safe. Unlike any other bookstore Pam had been in. Everyone treated each other like family. Pam looked around a bit more. A spiralling staircase lead up to a room full of children's books with beanbags and costumes. There was a young blonde woman sitting in a chair wearing a princess hat, reading to a bunch of giggling kids who were sitting at her feet. Pam smiled faintly, thinking of her own little boy, Christopher. He looked just like his father, Daniel. She walked back downstairs and began trailing along the shelves, running her finger along the titles. She plucked a thick one from the shelf. It looked good. She settled down in a free armchair. She'd only been reading for roughly 10 minutes when she looked up and saw a little girl racing down the stairs and shooting past her. Pam grinned and watched a young woman scoop up the girl and spin her around. Pam stopped grinning and frowned. There was something…something oddly familiar about the woman. She was slim and petite, with shoulder length chestnut hair. Her eyes were large and round, green like an ocean. She was dressed in faded blue skinny leg jeans and a skinny, royal blue long sleeved top. She was just like any other woman and Pam really couldn't place her. Damn. It would bother her all day. The kid was now giggling at something, sleepily rubbing her eyes and clinging to the woman's legs. Pam continued watching the woman and child. Then she was scared she looked like a stalker so she watched from behind her book from awhile. Who _was_ it? Pam hoped this wouldn't turn into one of those awkward situations where someone knew you and you didn't know them and…Tess. It was Tess! Pam dropped her book and gaped. Wow.

"Brings back memories…" Pam muttered, cringing. She felt her cheeks grow hot. Bad memories. Just then, Tess raised her head and scanned the room. Her eyes fell on Pam. She tilted her head slightly, looking thoughtful and then…

"Pam? Oh my gosh, Pam!" She lifted the little girl onto her hip and walked over.

"Tess? Oh…wow. Hi." Pam replied weakly. Awkward. Seriously. But clearly, Tess didn't think so. She wrapped Pam in a quick hug, smelling of roses and citrus.

"Oh, wow, how are you? I haven't seen you since you quit Dunder Mifflin."

"Yeah…I'm uh, fine. Actually, I think the last time I saw you, you had just gotten engaged to Jim. How are you?" Pam asked. She smiled at the little girl.

"Oh, I'm great. Great. I own this place." She gestured around the store.

"Are you serious?" Pam grinned. "I should've known. It has your essence."

"Oh, sorry, this," Tess tilted her head to the little girl. "Is Ruby. Affectionately nicknamed Bee." She smiled fondly at Ruby and fluttered her eyelashes against her plump, rosy cheeks. Ruby giggled and buried her face in Tess' neck.

"She's 3." Tess went on.

"Is she yours?"

"Yep. Do you have kids?" Pam smiled, remembering.

"Yeah. Christopher, he's 3 too. He looks just like his father."

"That's so great! Hey, we should set up a play date."

"Yeah." Pam smiled. She actually meant it too. That was weird. She really couldn't believe she had done all those awful things to Tess a few years ago. How long ago it seemed. She blushed, recalling the moments. God. It was like a rerun of Degrassi or something. How embarrassing.

"I heard you got married." Tess chattered away.

"Yeah, to Daniel McGuill. He's great." Pam smiled. He really was. He had the best smile. Tess smiled and was about to say something when her face lit up. She waved to someone over Pam's shoulder. Pam turned. Entering the store was a lanky, tall man with tousled hair.

"Jim?" Pam cried.

"Pam? I don't believe it." He pulled her into a hug. She felt a little dazed.

"How have you been?" He said excitedly. He kissed Ruby on the head and wrapped his arm around Tess' waist.

"Fine. How are you?"

"Good. Great, in fact. I heard you got married."

"We were just talking about that actually." Pam said. She felt a smile spreading on her face and a warm feeling inside. This was easy. This just felt like 3 friends. There was no love triangle or drama going on. They were past that and it had never felt better.

"We have to catch up sometime." Jim was saying. He took Ruby from Tess and lifted her onto his shoulders. She giggled and rested her chin on his head.

"Dada." She cooed reaching one finger down to poke his nose. He raised his eyes and pretended to bite her foot. She squealed happily. Pam smiled. Had she ever really tried to break these guys up? God. How much she would have ruined, thank God she didn't succeed.

"I swear," Tess smiled at Pam. "Sometimes I think they're the same age!" She joked, tilting her head to Jim and Ruby, who were now spinning around and making rocket noises. Well, Jim was. Ruby was just squealing.

"But he's a great Dad." She added smiling lovingly at the 2. Jim stopped spinning and took Tess' hand.

"Sorry." He apologized breathlessly. "But seriously, we have to catch up. I haven't seen you in ages."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Maybe the kids could play together."

"Yeah!" His eyes lit up.

"My phone numbers the same." She told them.

"I still have it."

"Anyway, I better go." Pam said. "Christopher should be finished at play group."

"Okay. Well, see you soon okay?" Tess said. And Pam knew that they really would. They exchanged hugs and Ruby blew her a loud kiss. Friendly kid. Pam smiled and walked out, feeling great. She turned back once and watched Jim twirl Tess around a few times. They really were the perfect couple.

Karen was sitting at on a park bench when she saw them. Toddling beside him was a little girl, around 3 with soft auburn waves and green eyes. His eyes. She was wearing rainbow tights and a blue coat with red gumboots. Almost too adorable. Karen watched them. Was it really him? Was it? She watched the child toddle about on unstable legs like a colt learning to walk. She stumbled about, clutching at his long legs and tugging on his jeans. She paused sometimes to poke or splash at a puddle and then beam up at her father with a sunny grin. He scooped her up and held her to his chest for a moment, then pressed his cheek against hers briefly. She wound her arm around his neck and wrapped her legs around him. How cute. But she had to know. She knew she'd regret it if she didn't find out. She sighed. No use beating around the bush. She marched over and called out.

"Jim?" She called. "Hey, Halpert!" She called more loudly. He turned this time.

"Oh my gosh! Karen!" He smiled and walked over. He hugged her quickly sandwiching the giggling girl between them.

"Hey." He said, smiling. He hugged the little girl closer.

"This is Ruby. Bee." He explained.

"Hi Ruby." Ruby smiled sweetly and shyly.

"She looks like Tess." Karen commented. She remembered hearing that they got married.

"I think so too. But I reckon she has my eyes."

"Oh, definitely."

"Are you married? I haven't spoken to you in ages."

"I know, right? Yes, I married just 6 months ago. Greg's great."

"I'm happy for you." He seemed to mean it.

"Thanks." She smiled briefly. This didn't feel awkward at all. It felt amazing. Like old friends. They shared a few more stories, about work and kids. Memories. They were finally friends. She wasn't chasing him or crying at night. They were friends. _Friends_. That sounded extremely good to Karen.

"Maa!" Ruby bounced happily on Jim's hip. At first, Karen thought she was being a lamb or something. But then she realized Tess was strolling towards them. Karen felt her insides flip. She really didn't want to remember how she'd almost ruined her life.

"Karen!" Tess flung her arms around her. Same old Tess. But this time, Karen smiled.

"How are you?"

"Fine. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good." Tess answered.

"She owns a bookstore." Jim chimed in, kissing her on the cheek.

"Do you really? That's great!" Karen said sincerely.

"Thanks." Ruby was stretching her arms out, so Tess took her.

"Hey Bee." She hugged the little cutie and wiped a smudge of jam of her rosy cheek and then blew lightly onto Ruby's face, causing the cutie to burst into giggles.

"How are you today?" She was asking Ruby in a solemn voice. Ruby thought for a moment. It looked like maybe they'd practised this routine.

"F-fa—fantastical!" The little girl stumbled a little, trying to wrap her tongue around the long word. Jim and Tess laughed.

"Its something the host of her favourite TV show says all the time." Jim explained.

"Oh." Karen laughed. They exchanged a few more words and laughs. How good that felt. She cringed remembering her plan to break them up. Oh the shame. And it hadn't even been that long ago. They were just getting deeper into the conversation when Ruby started yawning and tugging on her gumboot, looking frustrated.

"Uh oh. Looks like someone's getting sleepy." Jim said. He took the child in his arms. And she rested her head on his shoulder. Karen knew he'd always make a fantastic father.

"We'd better head off. But we should catch up, hey?"

"For sure." Karen smiled.

"See you soon." Tess promised, hugging her again. This time Karen hugged back. It felt like a whole new beginning.

"See you!" She called after them. She watched him put his arm Tess' waist and pull her closer. They seemed to fit together perfectly. Karen smiled. It felt good.

Jim rested his little angels' head on her Little Mermaid pillow. She's in her pale yellow jumpsuit. Her chestnut waves fan out around her pale face and her long dark lashes rest on her cheeks.

"Goodnight Ruby." He whispers, rubbing her back comfortingly. She makes a little sighing noise and rolls onto her side, curling her feet up. She clings to his finger but he gently detangles it and flicks on her moon night light. He leaves the door open a crack, so that some yellow light can stream through. Just in case. He's tired when he gets to his room. He changes into striped flannel pyjama pants and a white t-shirt, slipping between the covers. He smiles when he sees Tess. She's fallen asleep reading her book. He kisses her cheek and flicks of the light and slips his hand into hers. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night and lies perfectly still, wondering if it's all real. He watches the moonlight pool into the bedroom, lighting her beautiful face up. He listens to the crashing of waves from the beach down the street and the rustling of willow trees outside the house. He breathes in the fresh air from the open window that he leaves open every night and feels the warmth of the comforters on his skin. He wonders if it's all a perfect dream. Well, if it is, he never wants to wake up. But he always does, and her beautiful face is always there, smiling at him. Now, he rolls over and wraps her into his arms. She smiles, still sleeping and leans into him. They fall asleep in each others arms.

**Sorry if that was too long. I hope your satisfied with the ending, it was really fun to write. **** I, for one, am glad it worked out that way. Well, obviously, as I chose the events but…well, anyway. Let me know what **_**you**_** think. I loved writing this and thankyou all for sticking by! Thanks! Bye, xx. **


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